Perfect Killers
by curiousoyster
Summary: Ran's death turned Conan's world upside down. Will he be able to bring her justice? Or is there such a thing as perfect killers who will never be exposed?


Hello! I need to get this story out of my system so that I can continue writing my other fan fic. It's been in my head for dayssss. It can be a bit confusing. Tell me what you think! Enjoy. :)

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**Perfect Killers**

One year ago

* * *

Ran was walking home one evening when a bleeding man came staggering towards her. The man seems to have been shot consecutively at his torso. This was the doing of the serial killer that's been keeping the police busy. Consecutive shots - that is the killer's trademark. Ran was still in shock when the man fell on her and she was pinned to the ground. The bleeding man was using up every ounce of life he had left to tell Ran the killer's identity. The man gasped his last breath. "Spirytus", Ran muttered. Instinctively, she looked up and saw a lady clad in red standing near her head. The lady, with a sly smile and a venomous look, said, "You're right" and fired five consecutive shots. As the warm blood seeped out of Ran's mouth, she said her last words for her beloved detective, "Shinichi, I know you're near.. Solve this. I love..."

Present

* * *

It is exactly one year from that incident. Conan is slumped in front of Ran's grave. The moon illuminates the tears flowing from his face. "I'm so sorry Ran... I couldn't avenge your death." It was midnight but Conan heard footsteps approaching his direction. No not footsteps, the clicking of stilettos. A lady in a dress and a hat stood before him. Her dress was the color of blood. It made Conan remember Ran's blood-soaked body in the middle of the pavement. Another tear fell off his cheek.

"Good evening Tantei-san. Care for a drink?", offered the lady with a smile. In her right hand was a bottle of alcohol and in the other, two shot glasses.

"I'm not a detective anymore. Leave me alone." Conan grimly replied.

"All the more reason I should stay. You stopped your detective act because of her death right?", the lady said gesturing towards Ran's grave. Hearing the word 'death' pierced Conan's heart and he retorted, "It was not death. It was murder."

"What makes you say that? You're a great detective and yet you haven't found this murderer.", the lady replied, trying to pierce through him deeper. Conan was silent so the lady continued, "A great detective who has brought justice to so many cases and who couldn't bring it to the one case that mattered."

"Who are you? Are you here to tell me what I already know? You are wasting your time." Conan said with slight irritation. Who is this lady? How can she talk about his feelings so openly? He didn't even know her.

"Well then. Let me tell you something you don't know. The murderer, that is.", the lady said with a self-assured air.

Conan looked up to her and clenched his fists. "I've investigated like mad and I couldn't find anything. And you're telling me you know who the murderer is?!" He was almost angry.

"What can I say, I guess there are perfect killers out there." Who is this woman? How can she talk about all this as though it were a trivial matter? She put down the bottle of alcohol and glasses next to Ran's tombstone and peered from the brim of her hat to gauge Conan's reaction.

"There are no perfect killers.", Conan firmly replied.

"You're right." She said as she sat down in front of him, right next to Ran's grave. "There's just one and you can't figure out who it is."

Conan stood up. He looked down straight in her eyes and said, "Who is this perfect killer?"

"Not so fast." The lady waved her index finger with a smile. She finally got him. "I need your help first."

"I'm not a detective anymore. I can't help you.", Conan replied sinking back to the ground.

"You're not a detective anymore that's why you can help me. I need you to kill someone for me."

"I'm not a killer." He tried picturing Ran's killer but it was only a shadow and it frustrated him. His fists were tightening and he tried to relax. "Why are you even asking a child to do this? Who are you?"

"I know you're not a child. You're the famous high school detective, Kudo Shinichi, and you are deeply in love with the pretty lady buried under our feet. Now, are you willing to do whatever it takes to avenge her?", the lady challenged him staring right back straight into his soul.

Conan was quite startled to hear that this woman knows his true identity. On another day, he would be alarmed and cautious. He would worry about his secret. But there's no point now. There's no one to protect. There's no future. There's just this shadow of the killer who keeps filling his mind. Should he take this deal? Can he finally avenge Ran? Will he cross the line to do it? So many questions filled his head. It was aching and his eyes were stinging from crying.

The lady saw Conan confused and she said, "I have here Spirytus Rektyfikowany. Rectified Spirit. This is one of the most alcoholic drinks in the world. I think it will help." She poured Conan a glass and offered it to him. Conan took it. "Cheers.", she raised her glass with a smile. Conan looked at Ran's grave. _Ran_… He shoved the drink down his throat. Everything blacked out.

* * *

Conan opened his eyes and was a bit dazed. He sat straight on the couch and collected his thoughts. He was in a living room. He wasn't sure why he was there. He didn't know whose house this was. His mind was starting to race when a lady clad in a red dress entered the living room.

"So glad you could make it Tantei-san.", she said with a smile.

"Who are you? Where am I?", inquired Conan. He was still trying to straighten his thoughts.

"Show me what you've got. What does this room say about me?", she opened her arms and looked around the room while studying Conan's movements.

Conan has barely seen his surroundings. He looked around and saw a slightly open door. From the slit he could see glasswares. _A lab. Chemist._ He looked under the coffee table and he saw fashion magazines. They looked like they were regularly browsed. _Interested in fashion._ It only took him seconds and he replied, "The owner of this house is a chemist with a taste for fashion. I don't think you're the owner." _This lady doesn't look like she knows the difference between an Erlenmayer and a Florence flask_. "So who are you?"

"Impressive. My friend lived here and she was killed right here in her house. Can you help me find the killer?" How can she speak of her friend's death so nonchalantly? Are they even friends?

_Here? This doesn't even look like a crime scene. Everything is in order_. "What did the police report say?"

"They didn't believe me when I reported that a crime happened here."

"If the police couldn't do it, why are you asking a child like me?" Conan was studying this lady but he couldn't deduce anything.

"Because you're the famous detective Kudo Shinichi and you know my friend.", she said with a knowing smile.

She knows his identity? Who is this lady? Is she part of the Black Organization? Who is her friend? Conan's head was brimming with questions and the lady could see the puzzled look on his face. She reassured him that his secret was safe with her as long as he helps her find the killer. She slipped a photo of her friend on the table. The girl in the photo had naturally wavy auburn hair. _Haibara_. Conan was surprised. She's dead? Who killed her? She lives here? Conan was getting more confused by the second but the lady interrupted him, "So, have you found your motivation to help me?"

"She's my friend. You're saying she died here? She lives with the Professor, not here. I just saw her recently."

Despite Conan's arguments, the lady simply replied, "She was working on something here. And now, she's dead."

Conan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tried to think. His memory was cloudy but he had recollections of walking home with Haibara and the Detective Boys from school. How can this lady just randomly claim that she was dead? What was going on? Surely, there was only one way to find out. He needed to investigate himself.

"I'm giving you this day to investigate. Tell me what you've got tonight. See you Tantei-san.", the lady left before Conan could respond.

* * *

It was midnight and only the moon seeping through the glass windows of the living room provided light.

"So, what did you find out?", the lady asked in a curious tone.

"Nothing. Haibara is still alive isn't she? This house says nothing. Who are you? What are you playing at?", Conan said with a slightly raised voice.

"So I guess there is such a thing as perfect killers.", the lady replied with a smile. The moonlight almost made her smile glow.

"There are no perfect killers."

"Oh but Shiho's killer is right here in this room.", she said with a knowing smile.

She also knows about Haibara's identity? Who is this lady? Is there someone else in the room? Did she kill Haibara? No, Haibara is not dead. He investigated all day and this house said nothing. He has no recollection of her death either. This lady must be lying.

The lady went near him and whispered in his ear, "You're. The killer."

Conan froze. What is this lady saying? His investigation that day said that nothing happened. Is it possible to kill without leaving any clues? He was a great detective. He knew the tricks of the trade. No. It makes no sense for him to kill Haibara. What an outrageous accusation. But… why does he feel cold? Was it the chilly night air or was it something else? Guilt? No. He can't be the killer. He's not a killer. He'll never kill. Or would he? Conan's head was spinning. He tried to think hard but his mind failed him.

The lady observed his anguished expression and whispered under her self-satisfied smile, "Seems like the new drug does work brilliantly." She poured the two of them drinks and handed Conan a glass. _Spirytus_. Slowly, the memories trickled into Conan's consciousness. He remembered the midnight at the cemetery. Ran was dead. He remembered the frustrating shadow of her killer. He remembered the deal this lady offered. He remembered Haibara… Haibara's kiss. Her lifeless body. The glass slipped from his fingers and its shattering into a thousand pieces echoed throughout the quiet room.


End file.
